RESEARCH REPORTSSeptember 2001INTERACTIVE MARKETING RESEARCH ON THE ‘NET’

As more individuals in the agricultural sector become familiar with the Internet, marketers continue to experiment with numerous ways of conducting research. Immediate survey delivery, rapid data collection and a high completion ratio are only a few reasons for conducting Internet research. Most uses of the Internet have dealt with online surveys. However, there are more interactive methods available to marketing researchers.

One such method involves a telephone-administered interview while respondents view graphics on the Internet. There are four important benefits of using a telephone study in conjunction with Internet graphics via a Web site:

Increased Confidentiality. The information is password protected giving a client the level of product security they desire. Only those respondents chosen to participate are given the password to access certain areas within the Web site for viewing diagrams or video clips. Once the study is completed, the password is disabled and the graphics removed from the Web site.

Interactivity. Surveys can be administered over the phone while the participants view graphics simultaneously. This allows the interviewer the opportunity to work with the interviewee to acquire in-depth information.

Rapid Data Collection. By accessing DOANE’s Interactive Respondent (www.doaneir.com) Web site, there is little wait-time for arrival of the graphics to a respondent; therefore the interviewing process can start almost immediately.

Cost effective. There are virtually no handling costs for the graphics themselves, whereas paper copies of the same number of graphics could be quite expensive due to shipping costs.

EXAMPLE USES

Investigating the market value of a new product concept without respondents having the product in hand can often be challenging. DOANE Marketing Research, Inc. has conducted product concept research projects using the Internet to assist their clients in obtaining valuable marketing research information without compromising security.

For this type of interactivity to occur, the respondent must have access to a separate phone line or cable connection so that they can speak to the interviewer and view the graphics simultaneously. If the sample population generally has only one accessible telephone line, this methodology can still be used, although some interactivity may be lost. In this situation the interviewer contacts the respondent and allows the interviewee to review the materials on the Web site, then is called back to finish the interview. AM